Tom Hindle’s latest mystery unfolds like a sun-drenched postcard with a bloodstain at the corner. Set against the lush backdrop of a Costa Rican rainforest, A Killer in Paradise invites us into a reunion that was never meant to be idyllic. Five old friends gather at Abigail Blythe’s luxury hotel launch—ten years after a backpacking trip that left one of them dead and all of them changed.

From the moment the group arrives, Hindle masterfully stirs the waters of old rivalries and buried secrets. The rainforest setting is more than scenic—it’s claustrophobic, humid with tension, and alive with the sense that something is watching. When a body turns up, the paradise quickly curdles, and the novel shifts into a taut, clever investigation of guilt, memory, and the cost of silence.

Hindle’s signature style—clean, classy, and quietly cunning—is in full force here. The pacing is brisk without feeling rushed, and the characters, while familiar in archetype, are given just enough depth to keep us guessing. It’s not just a puzzle to solve; it’s a reckoning.

Perfect for fans of Lucy Foley and Agatha Christie, this is a beach read with bite. Just don’t trust anyone holding a cocktail.

With thanks to Tom Hindle, the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.